Exploring the Secret River Flowing Beneath London

Miners' lamps flash against the cold, damp subterranean walls and the tunnel ahead looks interminable. And if claustrophobia and darkness were not enough to deter the faint of heart, there are rats and the rising tide to think about while splashing through a foot of dirty water. The Thames is not the only great river to have graced London in the city's long history. The Fleet was a clear sparkling river that for centuries ran from its source at Hampstead Heath to the Thames. Now its banks are found in a series of labyrinthine sewer tunnels, deep underground, for the brave and hardy to explore. Trudging along in thigh-high boots, the walk isn't easy — it is against the current and rather bumpy, but the ghosts of times gone by are a constant companion... The River Fleet's long and fascinating history goes all the way back to Roman times, when it was a major river and contain...